METRO passengers were warned today that disruption could continue for several days after a hole suddenly appeared under the track during rush hour.

Train services are suspended between Benton and Shiremoor while engineers assess the scale of the problem, which was blamed on subsidence from old mine workings.

A replacement bus service is operating between Four Lane Ends and Shiremoor and passengers travelling between Newcastle and stations on the coast are being advised to use the Metro service via Wallsend.

Metro managers said today that trains will be suspended for the foreseeable future while repairs to the track bed are carried out.

Engineers from Metro operator Nexus and Network Rail were on site today to assess the extent of the subsidence and arrange for repairs.

Engineers are drilling boreholes and a CCTV camera was put down the hole to establish the scale of the problem underneath the railway.

The hole appeared around 5.30pm yesterday just outside Northumberland Park station on North Tyneside as people were travelling home from work.

Train services were halted as soon as the hole was spotted by a driver about 70 metres from the station on the line towards Four Lane Ends

A spokesman for Nexus said: "I understand the driver felt something under the train, went back to inspect the track, and found a small hole had opened up."

Asked whether there was any risk of a derailment, he said: "The rail did not break.

"Incidents like this occur three or four times a year on the national rail network."

Nexus advised passengers to leave extra time for journeys and use the Nexus website www.nexus.org.uk and local media for up-to-date information.

The replacement buses are calling at all stations between Four Lane Ends and Shiremoor and Nexus says Metro tickets will also be accepted on local bus services in the area.